from the manuscript in the Ronstadt Family archives
at Special Collections, The University of Arizona Library

Originally published for the Southwest Center at The University of Arizona in 1993
by The University of New Mexico Press

Borderman Fred Ronstadt wrote his memoirs on the backs of old F. Ronstadt Co. letterhead, during several years of summer vacations. A portion of the text, relating to his early business years and wagon manufacture, was first published in 1975 as a Tucson Corral of Westerners Smoke Signal issue, entitled Wagon Making in Southern Arizona. When Borderman was later prepared for publication, the editors decided to exclude the previously published section on wagon making, and deleted or reordered some passages in order to improve the readability of the text.

The publication of the electronic text for Borderman has been a labor of love, requiring the work of many hands:

Bunny (Dr. Bernard L.) Fontana edited the text and shepherded the project through the publication process

The publishers, Joe Wilder at the Southwest Center at The University of Arizona and Beth Hadas at The University of New Mexico Press, allowed permission to reprint the text and maps

The foreword, introduction, epilogue, bibliography, and acknowledgements are reformatted from the published book.

The electronic text of Borderman is the complete, unedited version of Fred Ronstadt's manuscript as he first wrote it.

First page of the Borderman manuscript [ 70 KB ]

Scholars may now experience this remarkable document in its original form. We are particularly grateful to Terry Carter for preserving the transcription and making it available to the University Library.

Edward F. Ronstadt dedicated the first publication of Borderman to his wife, Mary Catherine Ronstadt.

This electronic text is dedicated to Edward and Mary Catherine Ronstadt [portrait (68 KB)], with gratitude for their hospitality and generosity. Edward Ronstadt died on November 14, 2001.

The original version of Borderman was created by Robert Hershoff, Applications Systems Analyst, Sr., in the UA Deparment of Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics. Robert, who at the time worked in the University Library, is an accomplished bookman, student of Lawrence Clark Powell, and scholar of Southwestern literature. The current version of Borderman was created in April 2005 as part of the overall redesign of the Through Our Parents' Eyes websites.

Join Tallia Cahoon on a tour of the ghost town of Ruby, Arizona. Tallia grew up in Ruby during the mining town's heyday. She shares tales and history of the mine, the school house, the jail and more. Presented in partnership with Pima Community College's Community Education Series.
Curriculum modules mapped to the Arizona Department of Education's Standards-Based Teaching and Learning